


Sheriff Around These Parts

by RandomWriter71



Category: Toy Story (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Like every other sentence, M/M, Slow Burn, Woodys not the greatest role model at the moment, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2019-11-01 12:46:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17867552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomWriter71/pseuds/RandomWriter71
Summary: Buzz always wondered how Woody was before he realized he was a toy, or even if he had fake memories like he did.Buzz should really think twice about what he wonders.--I came up with the idea of how Woody would be if he lost his memory like Buzz when he gets switched to Demo Mode... and came out with this short story that was honestly made for fluff and just good feelings and smiles and a lot of innocent Woody cussing like a sailor.





	1. Prologue- The Old Days

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that I have no beta but if you see any mistakes I would be more then happy if you pointed them out so I can fix them! 
> 
> I came up with this idea after going on a marathon of the movies and just decided to go for it as this was a light fic I could work on while planning out another series! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

"Woody!"

The said toy jerked up from the paper he was going over as he heard his name being called. Smiling as soon as he saw a certain plastic space ranger walking up to him. 

Woody sat up as his friend stopped in front of him, "Hey Buzz, what's up? Something wrong?"

Buzz shook his head, "nope, just finished up my rounds around the room. Wanted to stop by and see what you were up to". Buzz said as he plopped down next to the Sheriff, leaning over to see what he was writing on the piece of paper. 

Woody pushed the paper so it was between them, embarrassed as Buzz had to lean in to read Woody's chicken scratch of writing. 

"I'm coming up with ideas for activities we could do for Bonnie's sleepover." He explained, "there's gonna be a bunch of new toys here for the night and I thought we could plan something while they're out. It's been a little tense around here and I thought this would be a good way to relieve some of that". 

Buzz nodded his head while Woody spoke, the toy hated to admit it but Woody was right about the tensions running high. It wasn't anything too bad, just a few arguments and only a couple fights they've had to break up. Nothing they couldn't handle, but what bothered the pair the most was, why we're they all coming up right now? 

Usually toys got along, living amongst each other and helping each other out was something natural, it was normal. But, it was like something was thrown off recently. Buzz thought it might have been nerves for the upcoming sleepover or some type of funk the toys were going through. 

Whatever it was, it needed to be resolved before it could turn into anything worse. 

Woody was going through his list of ideas he came up with, his face scrunching at some ideas he said outloud and quickly crossed them off. 

Buzz couldn't help but stare while the toy talked, not in a creepy way or anything, it was just interesting. He watched as Woody's eyes either lit up at a certain idea, a smile crossing his lips as he explained it, his hands moving animatedly as he spoke. He found it endearing when Woody's face would skrew up when he said an idea and didn't like it, almost like the words tasted sour. 

It was adorable to see the sheriff so invested in helping toys come together. 

Buzz froze at his own train of thought, 'adorable'? 'Endearing'? Those weren't words you use when talking about a best friend, then again, stari ng at them wasn't something you did either. 

The toy felt his face heat up as he looked away, feeling shame build up in his chest as he pushed those thoughts away. The sad part is, he would be lying if he said he hasn't already had thoughts like that. 

It started when they moved in with Bonnie and things began to calm down and become normal. He started to notice things about Woody that he hadn't before in Andy's room. 

Like when Woody is standing idle or casually talking to another toy, the cowboy would lean back on his heels with his hands behind his back. He would slowly rock back and forth until someone called him over. Or, because the cowboy was so tall, he would crouch down to talk to the smaller toys, tipping his hat back before crossing his arms over his knees. 

Even his old fashion tendencies--which Woody always denied he had-- would show through without him knowing it. Like the vintage toy would always take off his hat when he talked to the dolls or barbies, bowing his head in respect to them. He would also look at other toys eye to eye, tipping his hat back and keeping calm even when they would throw themselves into a panic. 

He even noticed that the cowboy would act differently around him. He would drop his leader persona he put on for other toys, becoming more relaxed and casual whenever they were together. While Buzz knew it was a bit selfish of him, but he couldn't help but feel a warmth bloom in his chest whenever he saw Woody become lax around him. From what he knew, he was the only one who got to see that side of him. 

"What d'ya think, Buzz?"

Buzz snapped out of his train of thought , finding that Woody was now looking up at him expectingly. 

He hadn't been listening to the cowboy at all for the past minute, so he drew a blank as he tried to answer, "uhh, think of what?"

Woody raised an eyebrow at the space ranger, "About my ideas, Buzz? Were you listening?", Woody said as he motioned to the paper in front of him. 

Buzz cleared his throat as he looked down, "oh! Yeah, yeah, I was listening Woody!"

Woody didn't look convinced but he just shook his head and continued on. "We only have enough time for one thing, so it's down to a game night, a simple meet and greet, I'll debate about charades but I really don't think that would be a good idea". 

Woody continued to ramble on about some of his ideas, debating with himself on some of them but stopping to listen to some of Buzz's input. The space ranger skimmed down the list, shaking his head softly as more then half the ideas were now scribbled out, but one caught his attention more then the rest. 

"A party" 

Woody froze midsentence before looking over at Buzz, "A party? "

"Yeah, why not?", Buzz responded, a smile growing on his face as he went on. "Think about it, nothing brings people together more then a party! It would be good for the toys to let loose and meet new toys". 

Buzz watched as Woody's eyes started to get wider as he spoke, the Cowboy's smile getting just as wide as his own. He could almost see the excitement building up behind the toy's eyes. 

"That's genius, Buzz!", Woody shot up and pulled the paper back towards him, flipping it over and picking up his pencil again. "We could do a theme and while Bonnie's gone get everything prepared! Maybe under her bed, it's big enough to fit all the toys and we could bring in those old lights from last Christmas..."

Woody continued to mumble to himself as he scribbled everything he said down on the paper. Buzz snorted as the toy even drew circles around theme and even started to doodle a little map in the corner of the paper. 

There was a comfortable silence between them after that, the excitement fading away until they were just enjoying the moment. Woody continued to write while Buzz just looked over to watch the hubbub of Bonnie's room, waving at a few toys that passed by the pair. 

Buzz didn't know why he suddenly thought of it but he didn't have time to think on it as the question slipped past his lips, breaking the silence. 

"Do you remember your past, Woody?"

The quiet scratches of pencil to paper stopped. 

Buzz quickly looked down, finding that Woody was now staring up at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"What do you mean? I remember Andy, I'm not that old Buzz", he said, a hint of a teasing tone at the end of his sentence. 

"Only to you, Woody", Buzz said back with an eyeroll, "But I meant like"- the space ranger paused for a moment to think about what to say- "like my memories with the academy?"

Woody stared at Buzz for a second, he could almost see the wheels turning in the toy's head. The space ranger was about to go on when realization snapped across Woody's face, a small "ah" coming out as he sat up. 

"Well, uh", Woody started, "technically, yes I do, but it's very... vague". 

Buzz cocked his head as Woody started stutter, he must have been seeing things but it almost looked like the toy was embarrassed? 

"Woody, you don't have to tell me. I was just curious about it recently an-"

"No!", Woody cut him off, his face flushing up as Buzz raised an eyebrow at him. "No, no, it's okay. It's just, uh well.. like I said it's all very vague because I realized I was a toy as soon as Andy started to get more toys."

Buzz was quiet, turning towards his friend to show he was listening. 

Woody looked over Buzz for a second, but his shoulders dropped when he reached his face. He knew that look, he's seen it so many times before, it was a look that told him that there was no chance of changing the subject and no chance Woody was going to get out of it. 

He blew out a sigh as he leaned back against his hands, debating on where to start. 

"Well, I guess it's more of a cliché wild west past. Desert town, hot and dry and dust covered everything, population of 50 at the most? Almost like those old western movies; a general store, saloon, a couple of worn down houses, the mayor had the nicest house out of the whole town but still wasn't anything extravagant."

Woody looked up as he started to list everything he could remember, squinting up at the ceiling as he continued. "I knew a few of the towns people, like the saloon owner and the Mayor, maybe a deputy?"

The last one sounded more like Woody was asking himself rather then an actual statement. 

Buzz frowned as the toy fell silent as it looked like he was contemplating with himself. 

It went on like that for a second until Woody shook his head, "No, I think I was always looking for a deputy but never had one". Woody reached up to scratch the back of his head, "I don't think there's anything I remember- Oh!"

Buzz jumped as the cowboy suddenly sat up, Woody turning towards his friend with a wide smile. 

"I had an accent, I remember that for sure". 

Buzz couldn't help himself, the look Woody was giving him with the thought that the sometimes stuttering cowboy had an accent in his past. A snort worked past his lips before the space ranger was holding his side as he laughed. "You- You didn't", Buzz said inbetween bouts of laughter. 

"I did!" Woody said, his friend's laughter was contagious so he couldn't help but follow suit with Buzz. "I had it for so long after Andy got me, you can ask Slink!"

That served to only make the pair laugh harder, Buzz's face slowly turning a shade of red as he leaned forward. 

He knew they must have looked crazy to the other toys in the room but Buzz couldn't find himself caring, not when Woody was laughing hard enough to snort. 

It took them a minute to pull themselves together, Buzz reaching up to wipe away the tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes. Once he was able to catch his breath, he looked back up at Wood and froze when locked gazes with the other man. 

Buzz felt something warm bloom in his chest as Woody smiled over at him. It was one if those innocent smiles that Buzz wished he saw more on the cowboy, it was one of those smiles that made Woody look truly happy. 

Woody opened his mouth to say something after a silence stretched on for a few seconds between them. But whatever it was, Buzz never got to hear as he was cut off by short, excited steps that shook the ground. 

Bonnie was back from the daycare and decided that she wanted to get in some playtime before lunch. Today she seemed to be more excited then usual, so all the toys spent the next hour or so flying around the room, Buzz and Woody saving toys from a haunted movie theatre. 

Buzz loved the way Bonnie played with them, he would always try to be engaging as he could, but he couldn't help that his mind started to wander. 

It wandered to a certain Cowboy's smile, or his laugh, or his rare relaxed demeanor that Buzz wished he saw more.

He didn't know if he should feel ashamed or not at how his mind went to think about his friend first before amything. Or at how easily he imagined Woody with the southern accent that he promise he had, how easily he could see the cowboy curving every word to make it his own. 

All Buzz knew was that he liked the idea of it more and more, that the longer he thought about it, the more he wanted it to happen. 

All he knew was that, sometime along the way, he had developed a yearning, a want, that was more the friendly. He was in way over his head.


	2. Chapter 1: Brand New Cowboy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buzz just wanted to spend some more time with Woody, he wanted to have time to sort through his feelings. 
> 
> Instead, he just got another problem added to his evergrowing pile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got another chapter out there! I'll probably be posting Sundays as its one of my days I relax more and remember everything I need to do! 
> 
> Just a reminder, I don't have a beta so if there's any mistakes please point them out and I will happily fix them!
> 
> Thank you for reading and enjoy!

It was the day before the big sleepover and the room seemed to buzz with activity whenever Bonnie left the room even for a second. 

They had held a staff meeting about Woody's ideas for the sleepover and, not that Buzz thought any differently, the party was a hit with the toys. Some jumping up as they started to talk about what they could do to help prepare and contribute, Jessie hollering out the loudest that it should be themed around a good ol' jamboree. When that happened it was like the floodgates opened for themes, some wanted a classical ball, while others wanted something along the lines of a rave. There were a few ideas that were... less than appropriate for some of the younger toys in the meeting. So, before it got out of hand, Woody called everyone to settle down. 

They decided that they would hold another meeting when Bonnie had her friends over, so those toys would get a say in it as well and while the kids were out all day they could set up. 

Once again, Buzz was amazed at how easily the cowboy was able to make a compromise with everyone as the meeting came to an end without a fight breaking out. 

From then on, it was like any tension in the room dissappeared. Toys worked together to get supplies for the party and some came together to run missions around the house to collect extra batteries and thread. All of which kept Buzz and Woody busy for the past few days, neither of them really having time to talk to each other or even have time to take a breath. When they did, it was always cut short by other toys coming in to talk to the pair or to drag one of them away to talk to them privately. 

While Buzz wouldn't say he was exactly frustrated by it but it was a slight annoyance not being able to talk to his friend for the past few days. Then again, it might be for the best as Buzz was still trying to figure out what kind of feelings he had for the cowboy. 

He found that if he didn't think about it, it wouldn't bother him as much. 

At the moment, Buzz found himself up on the windowsil with Slink out looking the room. He was pacing back and forth while the dog was going over the supplies they had gathered up for the past week, mentally making a list of what else they would need to get last minute. He was already planning a supply run for that night, he was weighing out the pros and cons of trying to get Potato Head to come with them. The spud was able to carry a lot but with the price of his sour attitude at times...

Buzz turned to his friend to get a second opinion as he couldn't decide himself but a loud click of the front door lock interuptted him. He whipped around to look out the widow as he heard the muffled voices of Bonnie and her mother, interally groaning when he saw a silver van parked in the drive way, he didn't even see when it pulled in. 

He didn't have time to wonder why she was home so early as he heard steps tapping up the stairs. He ran over to the toy chest, helping the small toys up before jumping in himself. The space ranger reached up and pulled the lid down with him as he fell in, closing just in time as the door swung open. 

He felt himself land on something soft, but remained still as he heard shuffling outside the chest. Buzz had to suppress a shiver as a warm breath brushed across his neck, he looked over his shoulder and found that he had landed on Woody. 

Buzz felt his face heat up as the cowboy had an arm wrapped around, pressing closer as he went limp. 

The space toy wanted to enjoy Woody's closeness a bit more, but by the excited squeals of Bonnie he knew that it was going to be seconds before she got them out for a playtime. 

Which Buzz didn't mind, he loved the senarios the creative little girl would come up with. His personal favorite were when Bonnie brought out the spaceship she made, it reminded him of the one he used to have. 

There was a thud on top of the chest before it flew open, revealing the smiling face of Bonnie looking down at them. 

She must have gotten into some sugar while she was at daycare because it was like she couldn't sit still for a second.  
Her short cut hair fluffed up to the point where small curls stuck up at odd angles. A small, crumpled cardboard crown was perched on top of her head, it swung from side to side as she bounced around her room. 

Turned out all that shuffling they had heard was Bonnie bringing up boxes that were now scattered across her room. Buzz found it cute as she tried to draw a different scene of each, feeling a bit of nostalgia bubble up as he caught a glimpse of what looked liked to be a general store on the side of a box. He knew Woody would enjoy that more then anything. 

Right now though, all the boxes were flipped to show Bonnie's 'galaxy'. Planets of all sizes were scattered randomly across the boxes, some with rings looping around them and others having swirls of different colored ink within them. Diamond shaped stars and spiky comets were sprinkled inbetween planets, some even shining as they were caked in sparkly multi colored glitter. 

Bonnie had certainly put time into all the boxes and Buzz wanted to spend more time to just appreciate her work. But it looked like fate wasn't going to give him the chance for awhile. 

Since Bonnie was in such high energy it meant playtime was a little rougher then usual. She wasn't as rough as the toddlers from the daycare were, but Buzz knew they were going to be sore afterwards. 

Bonnie had gotten out her cardboard space ship and was flying the toys around the room, squealing that they were getting chased by pirate aliens. She ran in circles with her space ship over her head before throwing herself and toys onto her bed in a crash landing. 

She was on her back as she pointed up at the ceiling, "Look! The pirate aliens are getting closer! Somebody help us!"

She flipped around and picked up Woody, who had landed next to her on the bed. She stood up and started to bounce on top of her bed, making small whooshing noises or explosions as she swung Woody about. 

"Woody, there's too many! What are we going to do!", Bonnie said as she clapped her free hand over her mouth, eyes wide in a feigned expression of fear. 

She held up Woody in front of her, moving him side to side to as she did her best attempt at a country accent. "Don't worry, las! I've got just the thing to take care of these varmint!"

Bonnie then reached behind Woody and pulled his string as far as it would go. If Buzz wasn't frozen in place, he would have cracked up at the sight of Woody being swung around like a lasso by his string. He could only guess what was going through the toys head as he was flying through the air above Bonnie's head. 

Buzz was able to catch a glimpse of the cowboy as he came by, rolling his eyes as Woody struck a super hero pose for a second before going limp again. He was glad at least Woody was enjoying the playtime, he knew the toy was sturdier then he seemed, he could take hits and falls that most toys could crack their plastic on. 

Buzz held onto that thought when he heard a loud snap come from the old toy. 

Bonnie must have heard it too as she cut off whatever battle noises she was making and dropped the toy onto the bed. 

Buzz felt cold fear spike through him as Woody dropped to the bed, his body bouncing a bit on the matted before going completely still. Not even his pull string moved, where it usually was pulled back in to set off the toy's speakers, it now just laid sprawled across the bed. 

Bonnie had reached forward to pick up Woody again, only to freeze halfway when her mom's voice broke through the stuff silence. 

"Bonnie! Come on down, we have to go to the store!"

The little girl flicked back and forth from the door and back to the toy in front of her for a few seconds before shuffling off the bed. She gave Woody one last panicked look before running out of her room. 

Buzz was up before the door even closed and by Woody's side within seconds. 

He gripped the cowboy by the shoulders, feeling panic rise in his chest when the toy remained still. It want a stillness like he was unconscious with his eyes closed and slow breathing, it was like there was nothing there at all. He still had his eyes open and signature smile on his face, but it almost felt... empty? 

Buzz tried to keep calm as he gently shook the toy, feeling unnerved when Woody just flopped back and forth without a word. 

"What in tarnation happened?!"

Buzz looked over and saw that Jessie was kneeling down with him, a clear look of panic on her own face. 

"I don't know, I heard a snap when Bonnie was swinging him around but he's not responding to anything". Buzz tried to keep his voice steady as he realized that the rest of Bonnie's toys were gathering around him and Woody. 

Buzz spared a glance at Slink, seeing that the dog had the same worried expression that Jessie had on, before looking back down at Woody. 

"Woody? Woody!" Buzz said as he started to shake the toy again, getting rougher when he received no response. "Come on, cowboy, you've been though worse". 

He said the last part mostly for himself as desperation started to creep in when the toy just stared up at him with cold lifeless eyes. 

Buzz didn't realize he was shaking Woody hard until he felt a hand come down on his shoulder. 

"Buzz, you can't shake him like that!" Jessie said as she pulled on Buzz's shoulder to try and pull him back. 

Buzz snapped out of whatever desperate pit he fell into and dropped Woody as if the toy burned him. He turned back to Jessie, nodding thanks to the cowgirl before he cleared his throat. He looked around him, his eyes going from one toy's fearful face to another. 

"Alright, now's not the time to panic-" Buzz didn't even get to finish when the toys did exactly what he told them not to do. 

Everyone tried to talk all at once, some almost almost yelling as they tried to get their voice heard over the roar. Buzz was flicking his head side to side as his name was thrown out every other second from a different place and a different voice. 

Jessie tried to get every to calm down but her voice was quickly drowned out. 

As for Buzz? 

He wasn't listening at all, all the voices had faded to a single note buzz. He had grown still as he stared down at Woody, his face scrunching up as he noticed something off. 

Woody had fallen in a way that made him land with his right arm under him, his left arm falling across him with his hand laying just over his hip. Now, when Buzz first inspected him, he was completely still, not a single thread moved on the toy. But the closer that Buzz studies Woody, he noticed he was moving at the moment. 

It was a small twitch at first, it could have been a trick of the eye, something Buzz's mind made up in his panicked state. 

But, then it happened again, this time his whole hand jerked ever so slightly. 

And then again after a few seconds, Woody's fingers curling in for a split moment. 

And then again, and again, and again.

The twitches were small and subtle, by the way that the toys were still yelling over each other he guessed they didn't notice. But, Buzz noticed them and it almost looked like they were getting stronger...

"Guys?" Buzz said, that cold feeling creeping back into his chest as he watched Woody's hand start to shake. 

"Guys!" Buzz yelled at this point, making all the toys around him stop and turn towards the space ranger. 

It only took a second to notice what Buzz was staring at and for the rest of them to join in staring at the toy as well. 

They watched as it went from the occasional hand twitch to the toy's whole arm jumping from side to side. 

Before they could do anything, Woody went still again. Buzz had raised his hand to reach towards the toy but just as he was an inch away from Woody, it was like something snapped. 

Woody's whole body started to seize, his back arching up as his head flipped from side to side so quick that his head just looked like a tan blur for a moment. 

Everyone took a step back as Woody threw himself on his side, watching in a stunned silence as his seizure subsided. 

Once he was still again, a low snap resonated from the toy before his pull string started to pull itself back in. A clear, "you're my favorite deputy" sounded through Woody's small speakers. 

Then, he moved. 

Buzz felt relief flood through him as Woody shifted to put his arms under him and pushed himself up. 

It was short lived though. 

While Buzz wasn't able to see Woody's face as the toy had flipped so his back was to him, he knew something was wrong. 

He was too calm, reaching over to grab his stetson that had fell off at one point and brushing it off as if he didn't just have a painful looking seizure a second ago. The toy placed his hat on top of his head, adjusting it as he looked up. 

Woody looked back and forth quietly, whistling low as he got to his feet. He brushed off his jeans before standing straight, he tipped his hat to the toy's in front of him, "Well, howdy ya'll". 

Buzz was taken aback as the voice that came from the toys wasn't Woody's. It was smoother and deeper then the one Buzz knew so well, his words were curled and were clipped short by the strong country accent that the toy suddenly possessed. 

Woody turned around to face Buzz now, his eyes going from one surprised expression to the next until those dark brown eyes settled on Buzz. "Now, will one of ya folk tell me where the hell am I?"

Did he just curse? Was the first thought that crossed Buzz's mind. Woody didn't curse, he said substitutes at times that were innocent enough, sometimes he would pull out the random idiom like 'pull my string'. He wasn't as bad as Jessie was with them, but even with that said. Woody never cursed. 

Jessie was the first one to speak up, standing up as she took a step towards Woody. "Woody, what do ya mean? Do you know where ya are?" She spoke slowly to the toy as if she was trying not to spook him. 

Woody gave Jessie a confused expression, his hands falling to his his hips where he hooked his fingers in his belt loops. "Well, not particularly", he said, raising an eyebrow as he looked Jessie up and down. "Say, how do ya know my name, young lady? I don't think I've ever seen you before?" 

Jessie's eyes went wide as she didn't know what to say next, she turned to look over at Buzz, who was still kneeling on the ground. 

Buzz took the sign to take over, pushing past his own shock to stand up and step up to Woody. 

The Cowboy's eyes moved from Jessie to Buzz as the space ranger stood next to her, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side. 

Buzz didn't even know where to start, so he just asked the first question that passed through his head. "Who are you?" 

Woody's face lit up as a bright smile broke across his face. He walked up to Buzz and stuck a hand out to the other toy, "Why, I'm Woody Pride! Former sheriff of my town, Silver City, but now I'm just going from town to town to protect folk from bandits and the like. What's your name?"

Buzz automatically reached up to take Woody's hand, receiving probably one of the strongest handshakes he's ever gotten. He didn't really know how he should react so he just responded with a simple, "Buzz Lightyear". 

That seemed to please Woody as the cowboy clapped his other hand on Buzz's shoulder. "Lightyear huh? I can bet a bottle of whisky that you're one of them astronauts, aren't ya? I remember Mayor mentionin' something like that before I left, dealin' with nonsense like space ships and gettin' to the moon!"

Woody gave Buzz's hand one last squeeze before dropping his hand and taking a step back. "Thought the old man was just bullshittin' me but I guess you're proof, huh? Well, enough of the small talk, mind if I ask what town am I in?" 

It was quiet for the next few seconds until Hamm groaned, "not this again".

Buzz couldn't have agreed more with that statement.


	3. Chapter 2: New Appreciation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What was I like?"  
> "You were our leader"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for being gone so long. I could give excuses like school kicked my ass or my art project took over my life or even my enormous writers block got me for a bit. 
> 
> But all I can say is that I am LAZY. I had this chapter half written for a long time, like when I posted chapter one long time, but I finally got my shit together and wrote the rest of it. Momma didn't raise no quitter and I'm gonna finish this story because Woody x Buzz is a rare pair hell and I'm gonna be the one to make hell a whole rave. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy this chapter!

Buzz gained a new appreciation for Woody's patience over the next few hours.  
\--  
After Hamm had groaned, Buzz had spent the next hour simultaneously calming toys down and explaining to Woody why everyone was freaking out.

At first, the cowboy didn't believe it. Claiming that Buzz was on some 'hard stuff' and to quit joking with him.

It took almost half an hour of showing Woody pictures that Bonnie drew and even surprising the cowboy when Buzz told him about the name on the bottom of his boot.

"So", Woody started, the cowboy looking down at his hands as he was trying to digest everything that Buzz told him.

They were sitting up on the play table that Bonnie had for her tea parties. Buzz sat a couple inches away from Woody, looking down at the quiet bustle of toys. There wasn't much going on, most toys were drained from the whole ordeal and took the time for themselves while Bonnie and her mom were out.

"What yer sayin' is that I'm a toy? That we've been through these grand adventures?" Woody pulled up his boot to look at the name written with permanent marker. "I was a toy for Andy? And now Bonnie?"

Woody dropped his boot before raising his hand to rub his face. The toy sighed, "I know damn well that this sounds insane but if this is true. Then I'm sorry, Mr. Lightyear".

Buzzed glanced up at Woody, finding the toy looking out across the room, his hands folded together. To Buzz, it looked like the toy was thinking.

"I don't remember anythin' like that, not in the slightest", Woody was silent for a second before he sighed again, sitting up as he continued. "All I remembered is Silver City and those folk but"- Woody reached up and placed a hand on Buzz's shoulder- "if we were all that close then I'm sure I'll remember in no time then, huh?"

Buzz gave the toy a small smile and nodded, he felt Woody squeeze his shoulder before letting go.

The heavy air that settled around them slowly disappeared as they both just watched whatever was happening in the room. The dying orange light of the sun gave the room a calm that it desperately needed after that afternoon.

"What was I like?"

The sudden question had caught Buzz off guard, what was Woody like?

"You were our leader", the space ranger found the words tumbling out before he could stop them. "You've been here longer then any of us, you always have a plan and put others before yourself, even if it means you put your own life in danger. You always look out for this family, make sure everyone has a fair chance".

Buzz went quiet after he realized he had rambled on, but when he looked over he couldn't help the flush that burned it's way across his cheeks at the fond look Woody was giving him.

"And you're always stubborn".

The last statement made Woody throw his head back as a full bellied laugh erupted from the man. "Yeah, that sounds 'bout right", he said between bouts of laughter.

Woody's laugh was contagious so not long after he started to laugh, Buzz joined in with his own chuckles, taking in just how ridiculous the situation was.

Both had wide smiles on their faces when their laughter subsided.

"You must care a lot 'bout him", Woody said simply.

Buzz hummed and nodded, not really knowing what to say.

A comfortable silence settled over them for the rest of the evening, Buzz didn't really want to start any small talk as he knew Woody was still trying to process everything he had told him.

Buzz knew that feeling, knowing that a life you lived so vividly was fake and never happened. Buzz can only imagine what was going through Woody's mind when on top of all that he also knew he had lived a life that he didn't remember. Adding to that, he was also surrounded by toys who knew him, that trusted him, and he couldn't even put names to their faces.

It was a lot to take in, so Buzz just let the warm silence stretch on until they heard the front door unlock and swing open.

Woody shot up as he heard muffled voices from the floor below, "Who the hell is that? Bandits?"

Buzz had to stifle a chuckle that rose up in his throat as he saw the panicked look on the Cowboy's face. He quickly stood up when Woody looked ready to fight the next thing that came into Bonnie's room, keeping his voice calm as he walked up to the other toy. "Calm down cowboy, it's just Bonnie and her mom."

Woody looked down at him, confusion clouding his brown eyes.

"Our owner? The little girl I told you about? They're just coming home from getting groceries or something along those lines". Buzz explained, relived when he saw the realization cross Woody's face and his shoulders drop as he relaxed.

"Sorry, I'm more jumpy then a flea on a dog", Woody said, smiling as he reached up to adjust his hat. "Completely forgot about the whole toy situation ya got here".

Woody was quiet for a moment as he went from adjusting his hat to picking at the edge of the stetson. His smile turning nervous as he stared down at the table they were standing on.

Buzz raised an eyebrow at the sudden mood change from the vintage toy, but his confusion didn't last long as Woody spoke quietly under his breath.

"Ya think she'll like me?"

Buzz knew the toy was nervous and probably a little bit scared but he couldn't help the grin that slid across his face. Buzz found it funny that no matter what happened to him, losing his memory or an arm or any other part to him, he would still worry about the same thing. It was almost comforting that those parts of Woody never changed, Buzz just wished his stubbornness wasn't a part of that.

Buzz was only able to nod at the toy before he heard a pair of excited footsteps followed by more sedated and calm steps.

The serene quiet that had settled across the room was shattered, toys coming out from under the bed or from the corners of the room they had relaxed in to get into their positions.

Woody had opened his mouth to say something but never got the chance as Buzz grabbed his hand and started to drag the Sheriff towards Bonnie's bed. Both scrambled to the top of the bed, a group of toys Woody remembered seeing earlier were already on the bed and laying limp or stiff on each other.

They made it halfway across the bed before falling forward as the door swung open, a worried Bonnie rushing into the room dragging a tired looking mom with her.

The next few hours were uneventful compared to the events earlier. Bonnie had pulled her mother over to her bed and showed her Woody, the little girl almost on the verge of tears as she explained what happened before they left.

Buzz felt nervous for a few seconds when Bonnie's mom took Woody out of her daughter's hand. But it quickly melted into relief as she turned the toy over and pulled his string, holding back a sigh as it pulled itself back in and the usual, "You're my favorite deputy!" rang from the toy.

Bonnie's mother gave the toy back to her daughter, smiling as she told her daughter he was fine and okay, which seemed to be enough for Bonnie as she smiled as well and started to bounce in place.

The rest of the evening was spent making up for the playtime Bonnie missed that afternoon, bouncing from a cafe scene to the open ranges of the west. After an hour or so, the little girl had tired herself out and basically collapsed into her bed, curling around Buzz and Woody as she slept.

Half an hour later, her mom crept back in to check on her daughter. Smiling softly as she shifted Bonnie into more of a comfortable position, picking up Woody and Buzz and placing them on her nightstand before tucking the little girl in.

Buzz felt warmth bloom in his chest as he watched the woman lean down to place a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead before leaving the room. He always appreciated the wholesome relationship Bonnie and her mother had. He practically got a cavity when Bonnie went crying to her mom about Dolly getting hurt and her mom kneeling down and putting a bandaid on the toy and kissing it to 'make it better'.

A thick silence enveloped the room as the door snapped close, the room going dark except for the pale moon light shining through the window.

Everything was still for a couple of minutes before toys started to get up from where Bonnie left them, most of them walking quietly under Bonnie's bed while the rest went to the toy box to help out the toys inside. Buzz had an inkling they were getting a staff meeting together and was quickly confirmed as he heard Jessie whistle a low tune from underneath the nightstand he was on.

Buzz stood up and leaned over the side of the nightstand, nodding to the cowgirl before sitting back. He almost forgot Woody was sitting next to him until he heard the soft shift of fabric.

He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder, surprised to find that the toy was looking down at him with wide eyes. It looked like he just discovered something amazing, his brown eyes almost sparkled.

Buzz realized he was staring after a couple of seconds and felt a blush warm his cheeks.

It seemed like Woody didn't notice as he kneeled down to Buzz, still looking shocked, and spoke softly. "Is it always like that? Bonnie playin' and all that?"

Just like that, the embarrassment he felt for staring was washed away, a smile working it's way across his face before he could stop it.

He knew that feeling, he knew it like the back of his hand. He could remember his first playtime with Andy so clearly, how confused he was at first at the idea of being a toy to a child. But that feeling quickly turning into the satisfied feeling of being needed. Like he was able to bring happiness to a child by just being there.

It was amazing and addicting in its own way.

Buzz nodded, a silent 'yeah' being shared between them that made the cowboy smile even wider. There was a couple of seconds where the pair just stared at each other, warm and comforting silence settled before the quiet snapping of the toy box being closed broke them out of it.

Woody looked down to catch the colorful flash of multiple toys going under Bonnie's bed, raising an eyebrow as he glanced back up to Buzz. "What's goin' on down there? Looks like every toy went under her bed!"

"It's a staff meeting", Buzz sighed out as he stood up, "it's something we do when there's an emergency and we need to get all the toys together." Buzz explained as he walked towards the edge of the night stand.

He was about to turn around and ask the cowboy if he wanted to stay or not but quickly got an answer as he watched Woody rush passed him. He stood frozen as the toy smiled at him before jumping off the edge of the night stand.

Buzz couldn't find any words to yell out as he watched his friend dissappear below the nightstand, his mind short circuiting as he debated if they were high enough to do any lasting damage on the toy. But he quickly got his answer as he rushed over to the edge--almost expecting to see the sheriff unconscious on the floor-- only to watch as Woody had grabbed onto the handle of the nightstand and used his momentum of flinging himself off to literally flip through the air.

Buzz felt his mouth drop open as the toy did two clean back flips before landing almost perfectly on the ground, his feet barely making any sound ad he did so.

Since when was Woody so agile?

Buzz closed his mouth with an audible snap when Woody turned around and looked up at him, a playful smile across his face as he fixed his hat. Buzz would have stood there the entire night if Woody didn't tip his hat up at him, the silent challenge of 'are ya coming or what?' broke Buzz out of whatever shocked trance the toy had put him in.

He was just gonna have to add that to the growing list of questions Buzz had racking up in his head.

Buzz turned and walked over to the corner of the nightstand, he crouched down and slipped off the edge before grabbing onto the leg of the furniture. He slid down about half way before jumping off, curling forward in the air so he could roll on his landing. He tried to be as quiet as possible when he pushed himself up out of the roll, trying to make sure none of his plastic parts were making unnecessary noises as he stood up.

He glanced around for Woody, finding him in two seconds as a pair of very familiar arns slid over his shoulders and a warm breath ghosting over his ear. When did he get so quiet too?

"Nice flips there, Mr. Lightyear", Woody started, his voice soft and low. "I reckon that this meetin' might be a good chance to see the toys you were telling me 'bout".

Buzz nodded, trying not to focus too hard at the fact that Woody was so close and the breath that was threatening to send shivers down his back, and turned towards Bonnie's bed.

Woody gave Buzz a pat on the shoulder before untangling himself from the space ranger, his hands looping around his belt loop as they walked side by side to the meeting.

Buzz had expected there to be some panic, they had just lost their leader and had no clear solution about bringing him back, but what he didn't expect was to lift the blanket covering that side of Bonnie's bed and see what could be compared to a riot going on amongst the toys.

Buzz caught Jessie bouncing in and out of the crowd, breaking up fights in one corner and helping to settle an argument in another.

She was in the middle of helping a toy stand up when she spotted the pair, her eyes flicking back and forth between Buzz and Woody before deciding she didn't have the energy to question why Woody was there. But the relief that flooded her green eyes was enough for Buzz to step forward and take over, a sliver of guilt burying itself in his chest as she was left alone to take care of all of this.

"Everyone! Quiet down! Calm down!" Buzz tried to be as loud as he could as Bonnie was sleeping just above him, while she was known to be a heavy sleeper, it was better safe then sorry.

He kept repeating himself as he walked into the crowd of toys, slowly making his way into the middle. Toy around him started to quiet down as they saw Buzz walking past them, he saw some look back and give Woody either a confused glance or one full of either sympathy or pity, Buzz didn't have time to worry about all that at the moment.

Once he was sure he had everyone's attention, he was able to bring some order to all the madness. "Okay, you all know the drill, line up so we can take attendance please", Buzz said, his voice dropping back to a normal pitch as it was quiet enough for his voice to carry under the bed.

There were no words exchanged as toys shuffled around each other to line up. Jessie walked up to Buzz with a tired but thankful expression on her face as she handed him the attendance papers, turning around and walking over to her spot next to Slink.

Buzz took his position in front of all the toys, standing at attention with the paper in front of him and his other arm folded behind him. He slowly went down the list of names on the paper, trying to project his voice across the space but not being loud enough to wake Bonnie above them.

He nodded his head when he heard toys' quiet 'here' and 'present', only clicking his tongue when some names he called didn't get an answer back, he'll follow up with them later.

He was in the middle of the list when he became aware of the presence behind him when he felt a gentle breath brush across his shoulder and the very tip of Woody's hat out of his peripherals. He took a chance to glanced up and saw the cowboy had moved from the edge of the crowd and was now leaning down to look over his shoulder at the paper in his hands, his eyes flicking over each name that was in his own neat cursive handwriting.

Buzz cleared his throat as he took a small step to the side, moving his hand out so Woody could see the paper better without hanging overtop of the space ranger.

He tried to keep his face neutral as he continued down the list, Woody not helping the situation as he had taken a step closer to the toy and was now pressing against his side as he stared down at the paper. Buzz had to ignore the way his arm and side started to warm up by Woody's touch-- he really didn't need this right now.

By some grace of any god that was watching, Buzz was able to make it through the list with a hitch or warble in his voice. He handed the paper to Woody out of sheer habit before taking a deep breath in and starting.

"I know we've been through a lot today".

"A lot? That doesn't even cover the fact that we have our own John Wayne here!" Hamm cut off Buzz from the back row. Which then cause all the toys in the crowd to start muttering and talking over themselves once again.

Buzz heaved a sigh as toys started to snap at each other, "Alright, alright, that's enough!"

Buzz stepped forward while he repeated himself, raising his arms in the air and waving them back and forth to try and get the toys' attention. He groaned internally when it seemed like toys were just ignoring him this time, some spared him a glance, Jessie looking helpless with Slink as she once again tried to calm the crowd with Buzz, but quickly turned back around when toys started to talk louder.

What was up with these toys and panicking being their first option?!

Buzz started to feel frustration build in his chest as he kept repeating himself over and over again. He didn’t realize he was yelling until he felt a hand come down on his shoulder and shake him slightly, he glanced back and found that Woody was now standing behind him with an almost knowing smile.

The toy pulled Buzz closer to him gently before leaning down so he could talk into Buzz’s ear without the other toys drowning him out. “Need some help, partner?”

Buzz tilted his head back so he could look up at the cowboy with a confused expression and opened his mouth to say ‘how?’. But before he could do so, Woody gave the toy a wink, which made Buzz flush up almost immediately, and a pat on his shoulder before turning back to the crowd.

Buzz watched in a stunned silence as Woody strutted up to the edge of the crowd and without a second of hesitation, brought his hand up to his mouth, stuck his thumb and pointer finger in his mouth and blew the highest pitched whistled Buzz had ever heard from the toy before. Even Buzz winced as the sound was almost too much for his ears but it did the trick as within seconds toys had hands over their ears and staring at Woody with wide eyes as silence finally settled over the meeting again.

“Y'all are grown toys, there is no goddamn reason to be panicking when your leader is tryin’ to talk to y’all!” Woody started, pausing for a moment as if he was making sure he had everyone’s attention-- which he did as every toy in the meeting was now staring up at him with wide shocked eyes.

"Now, from what I'm hearing and what I've been told, y'all are throwing some sort of hissy fit because I was your leader and lost my memory, someone correct me if I'm wrong?"

Yup, Buzz thought to himself as he closed his mouth with a light click, that's Woody. No one but Woody, even after losing his memory, could control a crowd and get their attention so easily.

"Well, it's not just that! We also have the party that you- or the past you- had planned!", a toy from the middle of the crowd piped up, a hint of hysteria edging their voice. "We can't-"

"Well now, that's just a load of bullshit and y'all folk know it!" Woody said, cutting off the toy as he placed his hands on his hips. He looked more pissed off at that point then the playful toy that had just winked at Buzz a few moments ago. "I may not remember who I was to ya but I know sure as hell I wouldn't lead my folk into think if I wasn't around everything falls apart!"

Every toy stood statue still as the last word echoed through the space, everyone was quiet enough that Buzz could now hear Bonnie's soft snores above them.

"I have faith in y'all that ya can fix any problem by ya'self or together as one". Woody said, his voice lowering so he wasn't yelling as much as just talking. "Now, with everyone calm and collect, will someone tell me why there's so much belly achin'?"

"There was a party for tomorrow and you were the one plannin' it, we didn't know what to do about it." Jessie spoke up from the back of the crowd, the toy looking more then just exhausted.

Woody turned his head towards Buzz with a confused expression scrunching up his features, "A party?"

Buzz cleared his throat before answering, "Bonnie's having a sleepover and her friend is bringing over her toys. So, you decided that it would be beneficial to have a party with all the toys together whole Bonnie is out with her friend that evening".

Woody nodded while Buzz explained the situation, a low hum coming from the toy as he turned back to face the crowd. "That sounds like something I would do" , he mumbled to himself, staring at the ground as if he was thinking. He was quiet for a moment before a smile worked it's way across his face and he looked back up at the crowd with nothing short of excitement.

"Then what's with all the worryin'?" Woody started, "if there's a party planned then there's gonna be a party!"

"Are you sure about that, Woody? With-", Buzz stepped in when the crowd started to get excited with the cowboy.

"Absolutely!" Woody said as he stepped back and slung an arm around Buzz's shoulders, pulling the toy closer with a strength that Buzz hadn't seen in the cowboy before. "We used to throw the biggest hoedowns back in Silver City, folks from all corners of the west would travel hundred of miles just to experience one!"

"Were not gonna host this party, were gonna make damn sure it's the best hoedown that these toys have ever experienced! Right, Mr. Lightyear?"

Buzz snapped his gaze back and forth from the crowd to the cowboy basically holding him in place. Going from the crowd's now hopeful and excited faces to an even more excited face next to him. His gaze lingering on Woody's too bright smile or his warm brown eyes that were blown wide.

Buzz wanted to be logical, he wanted to point out that maybe a party wasn't a good idea. He wanted to say that they should make sure they could do something to fix Woody rather then worry about a party.

But looking up at Woody and seeing that happy face beaming down at him ,as if Buzz was the one who made him so happy, made all those thoughts come to a shuddering halt. Instead, his mind went to impossible senarios, of him leaning forward and pressing closer to the cowboy, of him reaching up and pulling Woody down for a kiss-

"Y-yeah, absolutely", Buzz forced out as he tried to push those thoughts to the back of his mind, his face heating up as he felt Woody press into him with a half hug before letting him go.

The Sheriff took the lead once again and continued on his speech but Buzz couldn't pay attention enough to actually listen to what he was saying. Woody's voice just became a deep and smooth white noise while Buzz's mind wandered back to those impossible senarios and to the fact at how easily his resolve crumbled at the Cowboy's smile, at how easily he got flustered by those brown eyes and a half hug.

Buzz snapped out of his thoughts when he realized he was just standing and staring at Woody's back with a slightly flushed face. He cleared his throat as he straightened up to more of a formal stance as he tried to regain some type of composure, but as he did so he felt as if he was being watched.

His breath caught in his throat as he looked up and immediately found a very familiar pair of green eyes staring back at him from the back of the crowd.

Buzz could feel Jessie's confused gaze studying his now fading flushed face before flicking over to Woody, who was engrossed in a conversation with Dolly at the moment. Jessie went back and forth from the pair of toys before settling back on Buzz.

There was a tense moment as her eyes went blank, Buzz could almost see the connections, that took him so long to piece together himself, being made within seconds. Buzz pressed his lips into a thin line as realization flashed across the cowgirl's face, her mouth forming an 'o' before shifting into a small warm grin. Her bright green eyes danced with something akin to amusement or playfulness that basically screamed 'I know your secret'.

Buzz didn't cuss much, he used to cuss like a sailor back at the academy. But now, he usually saved it when the situation really called for it, like when a wing snapped off his spaceship that he'd already spent months on repairing or when he miscalculated his trajectory and ended up smacking his head against the ceiling fan in Bonnie's bedroom.

But Buzz couldn't call himself an honest man if he hadn't said that the first thought to come to his once again panicked mind was; well, _shit_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the late update. I promise I'm not dead or leaving this story! I still enjoy writing it and seeing you guys read and leave comments really helped me get back into a groove!
> 
> Thank you again and hoped you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Chapter 3: Silence is Never The Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Support in very expected places

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit guys, I nearly had a heart attack coming back from vacation to see how much support this story has received. I never expected it to get this much attention as it was just a small fic that I wrote out of nowhere, but thank you guys, I read all your comments and cannot thank you enough for all the support and love you've given to this story, thank you!  
> Once again, I am sorry for such a long wait bUT I got a huge surge of inspiration to write and got this bad boi out for you guys! It's more focused on Buzz and what's going on with him, a Lil Jessie fluff and hint towards the party! But not to worry there will be plenty of Buzz getting flustered by Woody in the future!  
> And again, I have no beta so if you see errors please point them out, I would appreciate it!  
> I hope you guys enjoy!

Buzz knew he wasn't going to be able to get out of it. It didn't matter if he jumped out the window or hitched a ride on Bonnie's mom's van to the next state over, it was inevitable. Not with the way Jessie had stared at him as if she figured out his big secret, a look that screamed that she knew exactly what was happening and she wanted to know more. 

Which is also why Buzz wasn't surprised when Jessie basically latched onto his side as soon as their group on a supply run, one that had no cowboy in it as Buzz needed some time away from the toy, broke up to search for the lights they needed for the party. 

What made Buzz so nervous about walking away from the group with Jessie next to him was that it was so quiet. There was none of their usual small talk, neither toy said a single word as they made their way towards the boxes that held the family's Christmas decorations, only the quiet taps of their own footsteps disturbed the still silence. 

The silence between them didn't just make Buzz nervous, it was slowly starting to make the toy doubt himself.

Was he so stressed he was starting to hallucinate? Maybe he just imagined the look on Jessie's face at the meeting? It's not like that's impossible, he's heard of cadets getting so stressed about classes in the academy that they have a breakdown or even just snap under the pressure. 

Was he that stressed at the moment? While Buzz would admit the past few days weren't just a leisure walk in the park, the toy had dealt with worse--far worse. He had seen friends disappear in a single day from garage sales or stuffed inside donation boxes, he lost his first home after years of not being played with and he almost lost his own life, along with the rest of his family, multiple times. 

Buzz had stared at his own fate, he could still see the splashes of red and orange whenever he let his mind wander back to that moment. So, why was he so stressed now? Was it being the leader? Was it the unpredictability of Woody ever getting his memory back? Was it just the cowboy himself? 

Did Buzz deserve to get stressed over something as small as his own feelings? 

Buzz tried to keep his face as neutral as possible as thoughts and doubts tumbled over each other in his head, becoming an amalgamation of 'what if's and 'was he's. 

At one point, Buzz started to zone out, his body working in autopilot as his mind wandered further down a dark rabbit hole. He was vaguely aware of climbing into something, of feeling something hard being pressed into his hands. He didn't know what it was and he was so lost in thought, in his own doubts, that he started to squeeze whatever it was in his hand to ground him. He was barely aware of the sharp crack he heard seconds later, or how the object in his hand gave away and seem to just crumble. 

He was brought back to reality when he felt a hand gently grip his shoulder.

The toy made a small noise as he realized that the hard thing that he had in his hands were the lights they were looking for. Buzz opened his hands and found small shattered pieces of a colorful glass bulb that he had crushed accidently. 

"I-uh" Buzz started as he quickly wiped the sharp pieces of glass out of his hand, clearing his throat as his voice wavered a bit. "The glass must have been thin- I forget how fragile earth glass is and I picked it up and it just-"

Buzz slowly trailed off as he looked up and found Jessie looking down at him with that same knowing look she had at the meeting, that same 'I-know-everything' look. 

Buzz was quiet as he watched as Jessie took a step in front of him before gently pulling the strand of lights out of his hands. 

The cowgirl clicked her tounge as she used her boot to push the remains of the glass bulb into a small pile. Buzz just stared at the growing pile of glass, not really knowing what to say as his mind grew silent, all the doubts that were piling on top of each other in his seem to settle. 

"Buzz".

Buzz snapped his gaze up as Jessie's voice broke the still silence. 

She had her hands on her hips and her head was tilted to one side, a warm and knowing smile had found a way across her lips as she looked down at her friend. "Do ya remember when ya helped me with my claustrophobia?"

Buzz was caught off guard by the sudden question and was only able to come up with, "yeah?" as a response. 

"Do ya remember what ya told me?"

"Uh.."

Jessie chuckled at Buzz's senseless noise and took it as a cue to explain herself. "I was so angry and panicking so bad- Woody and Bullseye were the only ones who knew how deep my fear went- and I barely knew ya, but seein' you run after me and try to help just made it so much worse. I nearly decked ya, if I remember!" (1)

Buzz nodded, wincing as his mind started to catch up with him again and made him remember just how close he was to seeing stars that morning. 

"Either way, I was screaming at ya like a banshee ready to take off yer head, but despite that, ya still calmed me down. Ya told me somethin' that made me think, Buzz", Jessie paused as her smile got wider, "Ya told me that sometimes it's better to talk about what's going through yer heard then lettin' it sit and fester like a bad wound". 

"Jessie, I don't see how-"

"Don't bullshit me, Buzz". 

The space ranger snapped his mouth shut at Jessie's vulgar language. He knew exactly what Jessie was getting at, but either he was too proud or too scared to admit out loud what he was feeling. It was one thing to have it go through your mind, it was another to actually say it outloud. 

But skirting around the point and acting as if he didn't understand the cowgirl wasn't an option at that point, that was made very clear by what Jessie had said. 

There was a beat of silence before Jessie just sighed, her voice taking a softer edge as she spoke again. "I won't force ya to talk if ya don't want to, Buzz. All I'm sayin' is that it might be better to have a pair of ears listen to what's going through that thick head of yours. 

I mean, look at what keeping that all in been gettin' ya"- Jessie motioned down to the small pile of broken glass next to her- "Ya crushed the livin' daylights out of those lights! No pun intended!"

Jessie raised her hands and placed them on Buzz's shoulder, "I see that yer sufferin' Buzz, even before all this stress about what's happened to Woody, ya look like yer tryin' to hide from yerself. And I hate that I've just been standing by, I hate seeing ya like this." 

Buzz looked up and found himself locked into Jessie's gaze, her green eyes warm with all the love she could possible show to him. 

"Please, Buzz, I want to help". 

Buzz cracked. 

"I think I like Woody". 

There was only a second of hesitation after he let those words slip passed his lips before the dam that was holding his thoughts back broke. 

"Not just like a friend anymore like before- I don't know when it happened but it just came out of nowhere. I started to notice how he talks and how he treats other toys more, and just wanting to be around him more. Then, I noticed I would always feel... good? When I was around him- is that even the right word? I don't know.

There's no protocols for this, they never taught me this in the academy, hell relationships were never really brought up. They weren't banned per say, but they weren't supported. We were taught to have our full devotion to the cause, relationships were seen as dangerous to have as we're always traveling and fighting some evil. I- I believed it for awhile but being around Woody has been making me start to see differently about it. I..."

Buzz hated how his voice faltered, he was supposed to be the leader, the person that everyone looks up to. Not the person who's falling apart over something so little and emotional. 

His eyes had found the floor at some point during his ramble, he couldn't look Jessie in the eyes as he started to admit what was going through his mind. He expected the look up and find a look of disgust or anger on the cowgirl but when he actually did manage to look up, he found the same warm and loving expression on Jessie's face. 

Before Buzz could even think on it, he let the question slip out. "You're not angry?"

Which, much to Buzz's confusion, just made Jessie start to chuckle, "of course not, ya damn doof!"

Buzz raised and eyebrow at the cowgirl, "Doof?"

Jessie ignore him and continued on, "it's obvious y'all feel somethin' for each other! Ya hang around each other like two peas in a pod, always gigglin' and smilin' like a buncha schoolgirls with crushes. Almost every toy can see it, maybe not the youngin's or Rex, but most with common sense can it-- hell, we even had a bet goin' on!"

There was so many questions Buzz wanted to ask in that one moment, completely forgetting about the breakdown he was having a few minutes prior instead focusing on what Jessie was telling him. "Excuse me, a bet?" Was the first one to make it on his list of questions. 

"Never mind that now", Jessie deflected the question easily, "My point was, no I'm not angry, if anything, I'm glad ya finally seein' it for yourself. I was afraid if y'all weren't gonna catch on then one of us would have had to tell ya!" 

Jessie chuckled a bit to herself before she grew serious for a moment, "was the reason why you were so stressed Buzz?"

Buzz was taken aback by her sudden change of moods but nodded none the less, "Yeah, I- I just-". 

"Ya thought we were gonna see ya a different way, that Woody wouldn't see ya that way as well, and now that his memory is gone and he's actin' all lone ranger, you may never get a chance to actually see if he was feelin' the same way? As well as stuff about pride and being out fearless and flawless leader and blah blah blah", Jessie finished exactly what Buzz wanted to say but just simply couldn't, all with a smile on her face. 

Buzz stared at Jessie with wide eyes, the silent question of 'how did you know?' rang clear through his gaze. 

"I know ya like the back of my hand Buzz, yer like family to me. I'd have no right to say that if I didn't know how ya act personally", Jessie answered, giving the toy a wink before pulling him into a tight hug. "If it helps any, I don't care who ya like Buzz, I'm just glad that it's a toy I know will make ya happy". 

Buzz nodded, not trusting his own voice, and wrapped his arms around Jessie. He leaned into the hug as he felt all the thoughts and doubts he had piling up on his shoulders disappear for a moment, for the first time in awhile, he was okay with how he felt towards his friend. He had the support of someone he trusted, someone he loved, and he would be damned if he was going to take that for granted. 

"Thank you, Jessie". 

Buzz felt the cowgirl give him only last squeeze before letting go, "of course, Buzz, if ya need anyone to talk to, I'm yer gal". Jessie said, her smile turning playful as the mood started to lighten. "Besides, this means I'm winnin' the bet."

"And again, Jessie, what bet!?"  
\--  
Almost half an hour after Buzz and Jessie had split from the group, they had returned with the lights that they were looking for, with the bulb that Buzz had crushed replaced by a new one making it look like it had never happened. And luckily for the toys, the trip back to Bonnie's room went off without a hitch, they even made it back early enough to get a head start on decorations and planning. 

Buzz was expecting to find a few toys that were still up at the late hour, it's the only time that they're able to go on supply runs without worrying too much about them being seen. But, he was genuinely surprised to find that almost everyone of Bonnie's toys were still up and quietly working underneath the little girl's bed.

The atmosphere underneath the bed was light and almost sparked with how much excitement that was lingering in it as Buzz and his group walked in. While he was happy to see all the toys working together once again, he couldn't help but wonder how they were so well organized while he was gone. He took Jessie with him, and nothing against any of the other toys in Bonnie's room but some just weren't ready to step up to being a leader, so that just left...

"Goddamn it! Y'all are back already? They were tellin' me y'all would be out there for hours!"

Buzz snapped up to see a certain deep voice Cowboy walking towards them with a wide smile. He felt a warmth rush through him as he watched as Woody's eyes lit up as he looked over at Buzz. He didn't know why, maybe the talk with Jessie helped him more then he thought, but that rush he would get when he was around Woody felt different. 

It felt better. 

Buzz wasn't able to linger on those thoughts for long as he found Woody in front of him suddenly. "Ya found them lights too!"

"Uh..", Buzz croaked before he cleared his throat, "Yeah, we were only looking for the lights so we came back as soon as we found them". 

Buzz's eyes wandered behind the cowboy as he saw toys walking behind him with various different art supplies. After a moment, his curiosity got the better of him. "Woody, what's going on here?"

As if it was possible, Woody's smile seemed to brighten tenfold, "I was wonderin' when ya were gonna ask! Leave them lights there and follow me". 

Before Buzz could even think of asking a question, Woody had taken him by the arm and was now, quite literally, pulling him towards the back of the bed. Again, where was Woody hiding all this strength before?

Buzz was only able to hand the strand of lights off to Jessie before trying to follow wherever Woody was taking him. He tried to see what the other toys were working on around him but found that Woody was walking too fast to get a good look in. 

He was too focused on one of the smaller toys carrying a pair of safety scissors to notice that Woody had abruptly stopped, causing Buzz to continue and walk into the toy. 

"Whoa there! I know yer excited but hold yer horses!"

An arm slipped over Buzz's shoulders and steered him to face the same way Woody was. 

"Here we have, with the help of some goddamn talented artists, our very own saloon!"

Buzz had never expected to see something like this in his entire life as a toy, not even in a crazy passing thought. But yet, here it was, right in front of him, a very real and very 3D, cardboard saloon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) So, I actually wrote a whole scene to put here but decided it didn't work well, but I will add it as a deleted/bonus scene later on!
> 
> Thank you again and I hoped you've enjoyed Sheriff Around These Parts so far!


	5. Author's Note!

Hey guys, it's RandomWriter here with an author's note! 

First things first, nope, this isn't a note saying I'm abandoning this fic, I've just needed to get some things said and ask a few questions! As well as thank so many of you for your support and comments, they are what keep me writing and coming back just to see what you guys say!

Thank you so much, I never thought this story would get so much attention as at first it was just an idea that I got after watching the first movie and started writing at the beginning of this year! It's actually made me happy to see it develop and watch it grow, you could say I'm almost like a happy parent!

With that being said, if you read back when I first posted this story I said that this was a story I would write on the side as I work on another.

Here's where the questions come in.

First, I have another story planned for these beloved characters but as humans instead of toys! Would you guys be interested in a Zombie AU? 

I have a few chapters planned out and I wanted another set of opinions on whether it's a good idea or just a crackhead idea I got while watching Walking Dead. ((I might also post some art along with this story))

Second, it is taking me a LONG TIME getting these chapters out, so would you guys prefer if I cut the chapters down to get them out quicker or keep to the long waits but longish chapters? 

Again, thank you with being so patient with my crazy update schedule and not making this update a chapter. I'm working on it, I promise!


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